


13.21 Codas

by caranfindel



Series: Season 13 codas [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Episode Fix-it, Episode Tag, Episode: s13e21 Beat the Devil, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 13:21:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14545623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caranfindel/pseuds/caranfindel
Summary: Scenes from the cutting room floor - missing scenes and rewrites for 13.21, "Beat the Devil."





	1. I.

When he opens his eyes, he sees her leaning against the wall, long and sleek in a full-length black leather coat. "Hey there, big guy."

His first thought is, _oh, fuck, Dean, what have you done?_ And then he remembers.

"So I'm dead."

"'Fraid so," she says, not unkindly.

"And you... why are _you_ here? Wanted to make sure I didn't weasel out of it?"

She shrugs. "I'm not even sure you have a reaper assigned in this world. I wanted to make sure you made it back to mine."

"Yeah, it'd be a shame if I got thrown into the wrong version of the Empty," he says.

"Aw, Sam," she smiles. "I think we're gonna let bygones be bygones. You'll go to wherever you were meant to go. Heaven, Hell, none of my business. And so will Dean."

Fuck, _Dean._ "Please, Billie, you've gotta give me another chance. We were about to save Mom and Jack. Just a day. Just give me one day."

She laughs. "Sam, I've given you your _one day_ before. You remember how that ended up, right?"

He does. It ended with Cas stabbing her in the back. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just. I just wanted to help. I wanted to help save them."

"You don't think you _did_ help?" she says. "Everything you've done so far? You don't think that was helpful? You think Dean could have done it without you? Would have even _tried?"_ She reaches out her hand. "Come on, Sam. Your work is done." But her hand drops and she stares, wide-eyed, over his shoulder.

"You! What are you doing here?" Her voice is confused, and then furious. "Oh no you don't. You get the hell out. _Now."_

He hears familiar laughter behind him but he doesn't turn around, doesn't want to see. Then he gasps back to life, torn and bloody on the floor.


	2. II.

"Go to Hell," Sam says.

Lucifer smiles. "See you there, kiddo." He snaps his fingers and the horde of vampires spills into the room. Sam had hoped he'd have time to grab a weapon, but they're on him in a second, and it wouldn't have mattered anyway; there's no way he could have fought them all off. _Make it quick,_ he thinks, and he bares his throat as Lucifer laughs.

He wakes gasping, sprawled in a bloody heap. Lucifer sits cross-legged on the floor in front of him. He points his flashlight at the vampires snarling at the door.

"Ready to try again?"


	3. III.

Castiel loses track of how many vampire heads Dean sends flying as he fights his way through the tunnel, following the bloody drag marks that lead the way to Sam. They are too late to save him, as he knew they would be. Dean sinks to his knees, cradling his brother's lifeless body in his arms, then lifts him onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry and stands, bowed under the weight.

"C'mon," he says. "Let's go find Mom and Jack."

"I could help -" Cas stammers.

"No. You round up Gabriel and what's-her-face. I'll carry my brother."

They make their way out of the tunnel without incident - apparently Dean killed every remaining vampire in his grief and rage - and when they exit blinking into the sunlight, Dean gently lays his burden on the grass. Cas can finally see the full extent of Sam's injuries. His throat is torn open in two places, and so much blood has soaked into his jacket, it's a wonder the vampires found any left to drink.

"Gabriel?" Dean asks, without taking his eyes off Sam's still face. "Is there anything..."

"I'm sorry, Dean. I would if I could. I don't have enough power."

Dean nods once, stiffly, and hoists Sam onto his shoulders again. He doesn't ask Cas. He already knows how useless he is. He stumbles once, under the weight of grief and guilt and almost 200 pounds of dead weight _(dead weight,_ what an ironic choice of words), and steps onto the path.

Gabriel leads the way, with Maggie following close behind. Cas walks behind Dean and waits to catch him if he stumbles again. At one point he puts a hand on Dean's arm and sends the slight amount of healing he can offer, to give him strength. Dean jerks his arm away. He's unwilling or unable to accept comfort from someone who is so worthless, Cas thinks. He continues to walk a few steps behind Dean until he can no longer bear the sight of Sam's head bobbing loosely against Dean's shoulder, or the growing patch of blood seeping into Dean's jacket. He trots ahead to Gabriel. "We should stop for the night," he says. "Dean's not going to be able to go much further."

Gabriel nods. "It's too close to dark to be walking around anyway. This looks like a good place to stop," he says, pointing at a grassy clearing in the trees a few yards ahead. They drop their bags and Dean eases Sam onto the ground. Cas removes his coat and, after getting a nod of permission from Dean, drapes it over his lifeless face. The coat barely reaches past his waist - there's just _so much_ Sam here. Even though there is no Sam at all.

Dean lies in the grass next to Sam and throws his arms over his face, pretending to sleep. Cas asks Maggie what she knows about Mary and Jack and the resistance, but he doesn't really listen to her answers. He finds he doesn't care all that much. He loves Mary. He loves Jack. But losing Sam in the fight to rescue them is a high price to pay.

He's almost dozing when he hears footsteps approaching. Dean hears it too, and jumps to his feet, aiming his flashlight into the darkness. He draw his gun, but doesn't bother to shoot at the figure who emerges into the pool of light.

"Hey, Dean," says Lucifer. "Cas. Gabe. I see you guys made a new buddy. But where's Sammy?"

"What the fuck are you doing here," Dean mutters through clenched teeth.

"Eh, long story. Bottom line is, I know my son is here." He turns to Sam's long bloodstained legs, exposed under Castiel's coat. "And I think we might have a situation here, where I can scratch your back and you can scratch mine."

Cas hears Gabriel stir beside him and knows he's reaching for the archangel blade. He watches Dean for a signal, a feint, anything to indicate how the attack should go down. But Dean's eyes simply flick from Lucifer to his brother and back to Lucifer again.

"Whaddya say, Deano? Shall we talk about-"

"Yes," Dean says. "Whatever you want. Yes."


	4. IV.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Sam stammers. "He was going to find Jack either way. I could have let him kill me again, but he still would have made it here. And I wouldn't have been here to help stop him. I'm sorry."

"Oh, God, Sam," Dean says, wrapping his arms around his brother. He buries his nose in Sam's hair. It's sticky and it reeks of blood and woodsmoke and _Sam,_ and he breathes it in until his eyes burn. "I don't care. I don't care."


End file.
